Letter: Our Targets Were Fun, Safety

On May 5, the Grafton County Fish and Game Association hosted the first Ladies Only Range Day. We expected a response of 10 to 15 ladies interested in the sport of shooting. There were 62 ladies who attended the event, ranging in age from teenagers to retired. The shooters were divided up into three groups: One group shot handguns, another shot rifles, and the third was at the shotgun range. Each group rotated through all the ranges learning gun safety and experiencing many different guns and types of shooting. Our goal was to expose new shooters to the sport of shooting, safety, proper gun handling and how to have fun, without any competition or intimidation.

The smiles and laughter were easily heard over the shooting. It seemed as if everyone had a good time learning how to be safe and responsible gun handlers. During the lunch break, the talk was about how a particular gun shot or how many clay targets a shooter hit on the trap range.

We could not have put on this event without the many businesses that donated ammunition, food, door prizes and more. Thank you to the members of Grafton Fish and Game who donated their time, ammunition, personal guns and tons of knowledge. But mostly thank you to all the lady shooters who attended and made this a positive and fun event. We will see you next year at the Ladies Only Range Day.

West Lebanon — Heidi Gouger, of Swanzey, N.H., held the stock of a shotgun against her right shoulder and aimed at an orange clay target as it flew through the sky. Gouger missed the target, which fell to the ground and crumbled to pieces. “No, I don’t like it. I don’t even want to fire it again,” Gouger said as …